


Won’t You Sea Me Home?

by DramaticGarbage



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, mentions of disappearances, mentions of logan, mentions of the twins, mermaid, mermaid au, moxiety - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24538825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticGarbage/pseuds/DramaticGarbage
Summary: Virgil has felt the mysterious pull of the ocean for years. Maybe he should finally go find out what’s waiting for him.(Birthday fic for a friend!)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 9
Kudos: 119





	Won’t You Sea Me Home?

Virgil lived in a foggy little town, full of legends and myths. The kind of place where someone you’d known your whole life would disappear without a trace and it would do nothing but feed the rumors. It sat beside the sea, the ocean somehow feeling as though it surrounded the entire town. Nearly every road you turned down would somehow lead you to the water’s edge if you followed it long enough.

And people really did go missing. But no one ever reacted like it was that big of a deal. The town’s people all seemed to think this was a completely normal occurrence. Or at least they acted like they did. The hushed murmurs that permeated the town were sure that the sea itself was to blame. Whispers that the water would actually call people to it. That you could try to resist it, but it would always win in the end.

Virgil never would have believed something so ridiculous, he wasn’t one for superstitions or old wive’s tales. However... There were a few things that made him a little more open to believing this one in particular.

These days he mostly kept to himself, but it hadn't always been that way. He'd had many who he'd consider close friends back when he was in school. But one by one they'd disappeared, and as time went by, even the memories of them began to fade from his mind.

In high school, he’d had a close friend named Logan. ...At least he was pretty sure that had been his name. It definitely felt right. He’d worn glasses and had... black hair? Virgil swore every time he tried to remember him, the picture in his mind would get just that little bit fuzzier around the edges.

He’d gone to middle school with a pair of twins. Identical, he was pretty sure at least. Or maybe they were.. Just similar? No no, they were so different. ...Weren’t they?

And before that he’d... He’d definitely known someone else. A childhood friend who... Who... All he could really remember was a smile. 

But it wasn’t just the disappearance of people he’d known that made him believe the rumors. No, that wouldn’t have been enough for him, those could have been explained some other kind of way. Maybe they’d just moved away, people moved all the time. He’d have needed something way more concrete than just that to believe such a crazy story.

The concrete evidence that he needed was, and Virgil had never told a soul about it... But the water had been calling to him for years now. He couldn’t remember exactly when it started, but he was pretty sure it was sometime around when he’d finished school and began living alone.

It was just that.. Something about the sea beckoned to him. It was somehow as though every question he’d ever had would be answered if he just.. Went. He had ignored the quiet whispers, the ones that would get even louder whenever he laid eyes on the water. But there was a part of him that knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever.

He’d held out longer than anyone in the rumors had, he’d never heard anyone else admit that they heard that call or felt that pull. Just that someone else was gone, or just noticing that there was suddenly a gap somewhere. The problem was that it was getting a lot harder to notice the gaps when the gaps began to outnumber the people.

Time continued to pass him by, the call of the water as strong as ever. ...Or maybe it was getting even stronger. He just knew he was getting closer and closer to finally going and looking, as the question of what was keeping him from doing so swirled through his thoughts. What was the reason he didn’t? It wasn’t as though he had people keeping him here.. He didn’t really know anyone anymore, it felt like. So why not just go?

The day he gave in, maybe he was feeling especially lonely? But whatever the reason, somehow he found himself making his way to the beach, his feet eagerly carrying him forward if only so his ears could hear that sweet sweet sound that it seemed no one else could. It was no time at all before he found himself on the sand, he’d finally arrived.

There he stood, at the water’s edge. The lapping of the waves was so gentle... Almost hypnotic. What was it that drew him here? What did the ocean want with him? It wasn’t as though he had an instinct of what to do next. All he knew is that something made him want to-

“Oh! Hello there!”

Virgil blinked, his gaze immediately snapping to find the source of the voice. No one was here, no one trusted the beach. Who could possibly be talking to him?

But that was when he saw him. A young man, one who looked about his age, was in the ocean, sticking out about halfway. He had beachy blonde hair, somehow looking perfectly tousled despite being wet and pushed back away from his adorable freckled face. His eyes were a gorgeous blue, more beautiful than the ocean or the sky on their best day. Virgil was transfixed. So transfixed, in fact, that he took a bit too long to notice a smattering of turquoise scales along his jaw line, trailing down his neck, and then disappearing down his back as though they were just more freckles.

It took him a long moment before remembered that he’d been spoken to. “....huh? Did you just.. Are you talking to me?”

“Of course, silly! Who else would I be talking to?” He laughed softly, Virgil only barely noticed something light blue breaking the surface behind him that preceded a rippling of the water and the boy coming up to the shallow so he could lay on the sand and let the lapping waves keep him from getting dry. Now that he was no longer covered so much by the water, Virgil could verify.. That light blue was part of him. His.. His tail? Was this? A mermaid? Merman? The one in question tilted his head slightly, planting his elbows in the sand and resting his cheeks in his hands. “...Are you okay? I hope I didn’t scare you.. I was just so excited that you came! Would you like to sit down and talk a bit?” He smiled softly, nodding to the dry sand just before him.

Virgil stared a bit longer, trying to reason out what to do. His rational thoughts were telling him to turn around, this couldn’t be happening. But.. Virgil’s eyes traveled over him once again. He was beautiful. More than beautiful. His laugh was music, his voice a warm hug. Everything about him drew Virgil in. Was this a trap? Was this the call that beckoned sailors from their ships and into the sea?

Before Virgil could decide what he thought was best, he realized that his legs had already given in to what it was he actually wanted. He was sitting down just out of reach of the man in the ocean, cross legged on the sand.

This clearly pleased the aquatic one, who looked positively giddy at the prospect of getting to talk more with this human. They looked at each other for a few moments before Virgil let a question slip from his lips. “...are you.. What are you?”

That earned him another melodic giggle, Virgil watching as that great tail broke the water again and stayed out so he could see it. It was grand and beautiful, light blue dappled with what seemed like every color he could imagine. “I’m a mermaid, silly.”

The human could only blink, eyes wide and staring. It took a few long moments before he was able to reply, lamely. “...oh.”

“Yep! ...Oh! I totally forgot to introduce myself! I’m Patton, what’s your name?” He asked, his tail swaying adorably behind him as he asked, Virgil somehow able to perfectly picture the light kicking of feet that he’d be doing if he’d been a human laying in this exact position on a bed. But once he blinked the image was gone.

This was a trap, wasn’t it? Wasn’t there a legend about not giving out your true name to.. He may have been getting his mythological creatures mixed up. “Uh.. I’m Virgil.”

“Virgil! Oh, I really like your name! It’s different, like mine!” Patton’s face lit up, his joy seeming completely sincere.

“Yeah, uh.. I guess it is.” He responded softly, feeling a little smile tugging at his lips. He continued to study the mermaid before him, there was just something about.. Everything about him. It drew him in. But.. But, why? Was this why he came down here? Was this what drew everyone from the town? For what reason? Was it a game to them? Were they... Food to them? “...uh, can I ask.. Has it been you who’s been.. Calling me here?” He asked slowly, almost like he was worried that the wrong question would make this entire interaction go from romcom to horror flick real fast. ...wait, romcom? Why was that what he..

“Uh.. Not really. It’s sorta weird to explain.” Patton’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, his attention snapping back to those perfect blue eyes. “But, I’m happy to try if you’d like me to.”

Virgil nodded slowly, prepared to listen to every word from Patton’s mouth. Not that that would be difficult for him to do.

Patton nodded in response, taking a breath as he began to explain. “...It’s not us, that call people. If anything all of us that live in the water hear it too. It’s just.. It’s the ocean that does it. Somehow. It’s like it knows what it is that we need, and it does what it can to take care of us.”

The human blinked. “It.. It really is the water? Why does it.. How does it..”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. None of us do. It’s just.. When someone would be happier with us than out here.. They show up. And sometimes one of us is called to meet them. That’s what they explained to me, at least.”

Virgil couldn’t help but gulp a bit at the mention of others. “Who’s.. They?”

“The other mermaids. Mostly the ones who were born in the water, those of us who were human once had to learn from others.”

“...You were a human?” Virgil asked, eyes widening.

“Uh-huh! I’ve been a mermaid for almost twenty years now, but I was a human when I was little.” He nodded, smiling.

“How did you.. Why did you..” The human’s voice was hushed, concerned.

Patton’s expression fell. He paused, like he was thinking over what to say. “...The ocean seems to call to people who.. Are unhappy. Who would be.. Better off in the water.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that Patton wasn’t the most keen on explaining, and the last thing he was going to do was try and upset him. “...Oh. Then.. Why me? I’m.. I’m fine. Nothing is going on with me.”

The mermaid clearly seemed relieved that the topic shifted, and that was not at all lost on Virgil. “I don’t really know. I just.. I felt it too. Like I’m the one who’s supposed to come talk to you about all this. Maybe you’ll figure it out. I’d love to help though! ...But, I’m not the best at figuring out things.” He laughed softly in spite of himself. “Maybe Logan should have been the one who you talked to.”

That stuck out to Virgil immediately. “Wait, Logan? You.. No, there’s no way it’s the same person. Logan was..”

Patton tilted his head adorably. “Logan was human once too. Maybe you did know him. He was a teenager when he came..” He paused and thought a moment. “..Honestly, I think he just wanted to learn about what’s down there. He’s so smart.. Human school just wasn’t enough for him, I guess.”

Virgil couldn’t help a soft exhale of laughter from escaping him. “No, that’s definitely Logan. He was always annoyed at how school wasn’t stimulating enough.”

The mermaid smiled even wider, tail swaying in longer arcs back and forth. “Can you tell me more about him from when he was human?”

He smiled in return, “Sure, at least what I can still remember.” 

Somehow talking about their mutual friend led to more questions about what their lives were like. Patton talked about what sorts of things he did beneath the waves while Virgil explained bits of the surface world that the mermaid didn’t understand. They both became so enthralled in the easy conversation that neither of them noticed that the sun had begun to set and that it was growing colder. A slight chill eventually rolled through Virgil, alerting both of them to the world around them as it became dark.

For the first time since early on in this conversation, Virgil felt fear roll back in. What would Patton do? Was he going to drag him into the water? Force him to leave the world behind? Eat him? ...Maybe that last one was a bit extreme, but still. He was dealing with mythological creatures here.

Patton blinked, looking around before noticing that Virgil had gone back to the concerned staring that he had originally greeted him with. “...It’s getting cold, I don’t want you to get sick.”

Virgil gulped. Here it comes.

“Why don’t you head home?”

The human blinked, staring for a moment. “...huh? You.. You aren’t going to..”

Patton shook his head. “You were called down here because the ocean thinks it’s where you belong, but I’m not going to force you to do anything. I think you should do what you want, when you want to.” He explained simply.

It took Virgil a long moment before he believed that moving wouldn’t bring him any harm. Sure, he’d just spent what had had to have been multiple hours talking to Patton... And that time had been really nice, and comfortable.. And he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a nice conversation.. Or ever known anyone as sweet or adorable or.. Wonderful. But that.. He was still.. It couldn’t be safe, right? He very slowly moved his legs, getting them under him as he began to stand, keeping eye contact with Patton who didn’t move from the position he’d been in the entire time.

“...I.. I think I will then.” He finally said.

The mermaid smiled. “Alright. I hope you make it home safely. ...And I hope I get to see you again.”

“...Yeah, I’d like that.” He nodded, the words slipping out before he realized he meant them.

Patton smiled that wide adorable grin of his again, Virgil swearing that he saw a hint of blush on those freckled cheeks. “...Good night, Patton.”

“Good night, Virgil. Sleep well!” He responded cheerily before letting the next wave help pull him back away from the sand, giving Virgil a wave before he dove beneath the water and disappeared. As the water erased the indents in the sand that the mermaid had made with his elbows, it was almost like he’d never been there at all.

It took a few long moments before he convinced his legs to carry him away from the water, his mind wandering through everything that had just happened all the way up through him finding himself showered and in bed for the night.

The next morning he awoke in his bed, not sure if he’d really experienced the day before or not. Dreams could be funny like that.. It had probably just been a dream. That would make a lot more sense than it having had actually happened.

But if it really had been a dream... Why did he remember it so vividly? Why could he so perfectly picture that beautiful boy with his eyes that were bluer than blue... Those glimmering scales... The prettiest laugh he’d ever heard. Didn’t dreams fade by breakfast? It had been multiple days and he could barely concentrate on anything else.

He had to go back. He just.. He had to convince himself it hadn’t actually happened. There was no way it did. Just one little trip to the water.. He’d hang out for a few minutes, he’d leave. Go back to normal life. Yeah. That would be all he needed to do.

The next morning he set off, making his way toward the water. It took almost no time at all, it wasn’t like anywhere in this town was very far from the ocean. So before he knew it he was already walking in the sand. He stood at the shoreline, looking out to the horizon. It was calm, the waves rolling in in a soothing rhythm. Virgil was alone. Just him. No people, no animals, and certainly no merm-

“Virgil! You came back!”

Virgil’s gaze immediately flew to Patton, seeing that those beautiful eyes had locked in on his once again. ...He was just as beautiful as he remembered him being, which was just unfair. He felt a lot of somewhat confusing and conflicting things, he’d been so sure that this mermaid couldn’t have been real and now here he was. He’d hadn’t wanted him to be real... But he was undeniably relieved that he was. He was so happy to see him.

A fond expression settled over his face, looking back at the mermaid softly. “...Hey Patton. I did.” He moved to go sit in his place on the beach again, watching as Patton slid back up to the edge of the water to lay and talk with him like he had the first time.

“I missed you! I was really hoping you’d come back!” He said excitedly, Virgil seeing that bit of blush flooding his cheeks again.

“...Sorry, I..” He blushed a bit as well, laughing in spite of himself. “..I think I wasn’t sure if I’d really met you, if I’m being honest.”

That adorable head tilt came back. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know..I guess part of me thought that you were a dream, just too fantastic to be real.” He said casually, watching as the mermaid’s cheeks immediately darkened noticeably, giggles erupting from him.

Virgil blushed quickly, realizing how that sounded. He’d meant to say ‘fantastic’ as in ‘unbelievable’ or ‘imaginary.’ But it was clear that Patton hadn’t taken it that way... Or maybe the way he’d taken it was the way that Virgil had truly meant.

“Well.. I’m really here, I promise.” He responded, clearly giddy.

The human felt a smile grow across his face, he couldn’t help it. This mermaid... This man, was just everything.

They may have shared more of their shy enamored glances before they managed to start another conversation, finding it easy to do once they’d gotten past the first blushy bit. Virgil asked far more questions this time. What did Patton spend most of his time doing? What did he do for fun? What did he eat? Did he have his own place where he lived? Did he have a lot of friends and family?

The topic of the people in Patton’s life definitely interested Virgil especially, they were both realizing that the human missed having people around him. Patton explained that he spent a good amount of his time helping others when he could, but he did have free time and he did have friends who he considered his family. The mermaid had already mentioned Logan, but there were plenty of others. Some were naturally from the water, while some had been human first like Patton had. The mention of a set of twins from the land, nearly completely identical from the waist up but entirely different types of creatures from the waist down, particularly stuck out to him but he didn’t mention it. He just focused on the idea that.. Maybe everything he wanted was actually within his reach.

Patton was more than happy to answer his questions, realizing that the more he explained it all to Virgil, the more he was hoping he was convincing him to stay. He hadn’t planned for this to end up being at all about him and what he wanted.. But he couldn’t deny that the time spent with Virgil was very immediately something he cherished and desired more of. He wouldn’t lie or mislead him, he’d be honest, he’d only tell him the truth with no embellishments. He’d just hope beyond hope that it appealed to this amazing human.

Virgil could feel how attached he was growing to Patton, and at first he was worried it was just because of this weird ocean’s pull.. But that couldn’t be it. Patton was amazing. He was adorable and sweet, sincere and precious.. He’d only spent two days talking to him, but it felt like so much more than that.

It was the middle of the day when Virgil realized how long he’d been out there, mostly just because of how hungry he found himself. He’d eaten breakfast before he‘d left, but it was definitely well past lunch by the time he noticed he really needed to get some food. This time he was much more torn about leaving, it was far from the fleeing that he had done that first time. But.. He really did need to eat.

“...Hey, Pat? I think I may need to head out, I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’m ge-” He began, but the mermaid cut him off.

“Virge! You need to eat! I don’t want you not eating just because you’re talking to me! Go get something to eat.” He fondly scolded, immediately causing a soft smile to grow across Virgil’s lips for what was probably the hundredth time since he’d been at the beach that day.

“Okay, okay. I’ll go, I’m going.” He said, slowly getting to his feet and wiping the sand from his pants.

Patton nodded, watching him. As Virgil turned with a wave, the mermaid couldn’t stop himself from calling out. “Will you.. Will you be back?”

He turned back to see Patton looking at him, a hopeful look in his eyes. Virgil gave him a confident nod. “I will. If not today, then soon. I promise.”

He smiled warmly, nodding in return. “Ok. Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon, Pat.”

Virgil made his way back home, grabbing a bite to eat before throwing himself on his bed to think. He had no idea how he’d managed to go down to that water and still actually leave. Again. He knew that he there was no way he’d be able to go so many days between visits again, but what he didn’t know was if he’d be able to leave a third time.

He didn’t end up going back that same day, spending the rest of the time considering what it was he really wanted. Patton. Was it friendship he craved? Was it more? He.. He wasn’t sure. But.. He was finally sure that whatever was waiting for him in that water was far better than what he had out here.

The next morning he woke up and immediately slid on shoes, going directly to the water with no hesitation. Patton popped up out of that water as he approached, a distant voice in the back of his mind wondering how the mermaid knew when to do so. That didn’t honestly matter all that much to him though.

Patton watched him, his eyes following him as Virgil walked with purpose right to the edge of the water. He hadn’t gotten that close before, something was going on. He opened his mouth to greet him, but Virgil beat him to the punch.

“Patton.. What do I need to do?” He asked, watching as Patton moved a bit closer, but still remaining somewhat far out into the water so he could remain upright.

He blinked a few times, taking in Virgil before him. After a few moments, he opened his mouth. “...You just.. Have to come here.”

Virgil nodded, kicking off his shoes before walking forward into the water. He walked, kept walking.. Wading.. Swimming.. All until he found himself in Patton’s arms. He had had to kick his legs to keep his head above water and at eye level with him, but he stopped when the mermaid slid his arms around his middle and pulled him close, holding him up.

He hadn’t exactly planned out what it was he was going to do once he’d made it here... But here he was, face to face with this.. With his mermaid. Without another thought he slipped his arms over Patton’s shoulders and slid one hand up his neck into his hair to help him finally just kiss this amazing boy. It was like fireworks. His lips so soft, his arms so strong. He was so distracted by the magic of this perfect kiss with this perfect boy... He hadn’t even noticed that his legs had already been replaced by a long purple tail, and now that he had that, he’d never have to be lonely again.


End file.
